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HIPPIE TABin PRESENTATION 

BY SONS OF THE REVOLUTION OF THE 
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 3. &. &. 



OCTOBER TWENTY- FOURTH || 
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TEN II 



WHIPPLE 
TABLET PRESENTATION 

By Sons of the Revolution of the 
State of New Hampshire 

October 24, 1910 



Concord, N. H. 

The Rumford Press 

1910 



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WILLIAM WHIPPLE, 

Soldier and Statesman, 

Born at Kittert, Me., 
January 14, 1730, 

Died in Portsmouth, N. H., 
November 28, 1785. 

Elected to Continental Congress in January, 1776. 

He signed the Declaration of Independence. 

As Brigadier-General of N. H. Troops he assisted in 

negotiating the terms of General Burgoyne's surrender 

at Saratoga, N. Y., in 1777. 

He was Judge of the Superior Court. 

Presented by N. H. Sons of the Revolution, 
June, 1910. 



WHIPPLE TABLET PRESENTATION 



The Whipple School Building was built by 
the city of Portsmouth in 1888 on Mason's Hill, 
so called, on State Street opposite the former 
residence of the famous Jeremiah Mason from 
whom the hill takes its name. 

At the request of many patriotic citizens, 
the building was named after Gen. William Whip- 
ple, one of the signers of the Declaration of 
Independence, who lived in Portsmouth on the 
westerly side of Market Street in what is now 
known as the Ladd mansion. 

On November 20, 1891, an oil portrait of 
General Whipple was presented to the city of 
Portsmouth by Storer Post, Grand Army of the 
Republic, and a notable address on this occasion 
was given by Rear Admiral Joseph Foster, U. 
S. N., now retired. The portrait was hung in 
the principal's room in the Whipple School 
Building and is now there. 

Recently four gentlemen of Portsmouth, all 
direct descendants of ancestors who fought in 



the American Revolution, conceived the happy 
idea of presenting to the City in the name of 
the Sons of the Revolution of the State of New 
Hampshire, a bronze tablet in commemoration 
of William Whipple and his patriotic deeds, 
and placing this tablet at the main entrance to 
the school building. 

These four gentlemen are, — 

Marcus M. Collis 
Stephen Decatur 
Alfred Langdon Elwyn 
Henry A. Yeaton 

Marcus M. Collis is a direct descendant of 
John Collis, whose Revolutionary battles in- 
cluded Bunker Hill, Saratoga and the Rhode 
Island campaign. 

Stephen Decatur is a direct descendant of 
the famous Commodore Stephen Decatur who 
was preeminent among those who fought on 
the sea for a new and struggling nation. 

Alfred Langdon Elwyn is a direct descendant 
of Gov. John Langdon, one of the foremost among 
New Hampshire patriots, statesmen and war- 
riors. 

Henry A. Yeaton is a direct descendant of 
Moses Yeaton, whose revolutionary record shows 
that he was first a private, then a lieutenant, 
then a captain in the Revolutionary army. 



The tablet was put in place on the Whipple 
School Building on October twenty fourth, 1910, 
at noon, in the presence of the school teachers 
of the city, many citizens and some six hundred 
pupils from the High and Whipple schools, all 
of whom were massed in State Street in front 
of the building. 

The exercises were opened by the superin- 
tendent of schools, Mr. James A. McDougall, 
who introduced the Rev. Alfred Langdon Elwyn, 
who made the preliminary address. He was 
followed by John W. Kelley, Esq., of the New 
Hampshire bar, a native and resident of Ports- 
mouth, who delivered the principal address. 
The mayor of the city, Mr. Edward H. Adams, 
accepted the tablet in behalf of the city, in well 
chosen words, and the exercises closed with the 
singing of "America" by all present. 



PRESENTATION 

Alfred Langdon Elwyn 

Rev. Alfred Langdon Elwyn in presenting the 
tablet in behalf of the Sons of the Revolution 
spoke as follows : 

I appear before you as a descendant of Gover- 
nor John Langdon, who was ready to sacrifice 
himself and all he possessed to save his country 
from the British Parliament. He fitted out Gen. 
John Stark and fought under him in the battles 
of Bennington, Saratoga and Newport during the 
war of the Revolution. As one of the four mem- 
bers of the United States Senate from this state, 
Governor Langdon should have signed the De- 
claration of Independence, but the presiding 
officer, Hon. John Hancock sent him home to 
build a ship on his own island in the river Piscat- 
aqua. So his name does not appear with the other 
signers, Bartlett, Thornton and Whipple. As 
presiding officer of the Senate, he announced to 
General Washington he had the honor to announce 
to him his election as president of the United 
States, the country which he had fought for. 



This tablet is presented by the Sons of the Rev- 
olution of the State of New Hampshire. The 
present membership consists of Alfred Langdon 
Elwyn, Marcus M. CoUis, Henry A. Yeaton and 
Stephen Decatur. 



ADDRESS ON WILLIAM WHIPPLE 

John W. Kelley, Esq. 

Yesterday the greatest question was decided that was ever 
debated in America; and greater perhaps never was or will 
be decided among men. A resolution was passed without 
one dissenting colony "that these United States are and of 
right ought to be free and independent States." The day is 
passed. The Fourth of July 1776 will be a memorable epoch 
in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be cele- 
brated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary 
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliver- 
ance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It ought 
to be solemnized with pomp, shows, games, sports, guns, 
bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of the continent 
to the other, from this time forward forever. You will think 
me transported with enthusiasm but I am not. I am well 
aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to 
maintain this declaration, and support and defend these 
States, yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and 
glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the 
means, and that posterity will triumph although you and I 
may rue, which I hope we shall not. 

So wrote home to his wife in Massachusetts, John 
Adams on the fifth day of July, 1776, of the adop- 
tion of the Declaration of Independence. 

Fifty-six patriots affixed their names to that 
wonderful declaration, all but eight of whom were 

10 



born in America. Of the eight, two were from 
England, three from Ireland, two from Scotland 
and one from Wales. Of the four delegates rep- 
resenting the New Hampshire colony or province 
one, Matthew Thornton of Londonderry, was 
born in Ireland; one, Josiah Bartlett, was born 
in Massachusetts; one, WiUiam Whipple, was 
born in Maine; and one John Langdon was born 
in New Hampshire. The latter, however, did 
not sign because at the time he was engaged in 
official duties that engaged him importantly 
elsewhere. 

It is difficult without much study of con- 
temporaneous history to get a proper viewpoint 
of the tremendous issues involved in signing and 
putting forth to the world this document. You 
should consider the thirteen colonies, their poverty, 
their lack of resources, their lack of cohesiveness. 
You must consider the lack of transportation 
facilities, the lack of ready and quick means of 
intercommunication, the strength of the Tories, 
the hostility of the Indian tribes, the wildness of 
the country, the greatness of the mother country 
in the world at large, and the strength of her army 
and navy in America. You must consider that 
the signing of such a document put the signers, 
in the eyes of the English nation, in the traitor 
and rebel class, each with a price upon his head, 
and shameless death his only portion if caught. 



11 



and a homeless wanderer if the colonial struggle 
turned against him. 

In the words of another: 

They pledged their Hves, their fortunes, and their sacred 
honor; and not one was false to the pledge — not one. They 
suffered much; some died from hardships encountered; some 
were imprisoned; many were impoverished, and all were 
tempted by promises, and menaced by the wrath of what 
seemed, for a time, an earthly omnipotence, but all stood firm. 
There was doubt previous to the declaration — none after. 
Every name shone brighter as the darkness thickened. Each 
patriot was a sun that stood fast — until the battle of in- 
dependence had been fought and won. 

The Declaration of Independence was first 
publicly proclaimed in Portsmouth from the steps 
of the old State House on July 18, 1776. This 
State House then stood on Market Square and 
faced King Street and at the conclusion of the 
reading, by acclamation of the people present, the 
name of the street was changed to Congress 
Street. Local historians claim that these steps 
are now the very same used at the entrance 
of the Daniel Webster house on Vaughan Street, 
whence they were removed when the old State 
House was dismembered in 1837. 

The signing of the declaration is regarded by all 
Americans as the greatest material act of all time. 
By the world at large it is regarded as one of the 
few great events of history. And this brings me to 
my particular text today. Gen. William Whipple 

12 



of Portsmouth for whom this schoolhouse is named 
and in whose honor this tablet is today unveiled 
and to venerate the memory of whom we are 
here today gathered together. 

He was born across the river in the township 
of Kittery in 1730, and died in Portsmouth in 
1785. His span of life was, therefore, but fifty- 
five years. Take from that period the twenty- 
nine years of youth and time spent at sea, and 
you have left the twenty-five years into which he 
crowded more action, devotion and self-sacrifice 
for the general welfare, than is commonly allotted 
to mortals, and more than could be* in the case of 
any man who had less of versatility, industry 
capacity and righteousness. After a common 
school education he went to sea in a lowly capac- 
ity, yet at the age of twenty-nine, when he 
abandoned the sea as a profession, he had risen 
to the rank of master or captain and had sailed 
all the known seas. 

At the age of thirty he is found in business 
with his brother in Portsmouth, and this business 
they conducted successfully and without inter- 
ruption until 1774 at which time William Whipple 
then being forty-four years of age, saw clearly 
a conflict over the separation and independence 
of the colonies was not far off. 

General Whipple lost no time in espousing the 
patriot cause. In January, 1775, we find him 

13 



elected by the people of Portsmouth to the Pro- 
vincial Assembly or General Court to be held at 
Exeter. In May, 1775, we find him made a 
member of the Provincial Committee of Safety. 

Later in the same year we find him a member 
of the Committee of Safety of the town of Ports- 
mouth. 

When the New Hampshire provincial form of 
government was changed late in 1775 to a house 
of representatives and a council of twelve we 
find him in January, 1776, elected as one of the 
councillors. On January 23, 1776, he was elected 
a delegate or representative from New Hamp- 
shire to the Congress or Federal Assembly to be 
held at Philadelphia and on February 29th of the 
same year he took his seat there. 

He was reelected to the same position in 1777, 
1778 and 1779 at the end of which term of service 
he retired because of physical disabilities. 

You might well suppose that the duties of the 
Federal Congress during those four years would 
tax the endurance and fully occupy the time of 
the members to the exclusion of all other duties 
whether they were personal or local. But what 
was the fact as to General Whipple? 

In 1777 Burgoyne's invasion was in process. 
Ticonderoga had fallen. The British army com- 
posed of English veterans, hired auxiliaries, Tor- 
ies and Indians, was forcing its way down the 

14 



Hudson Valley. The British troops from New 
York City were marching up the same valley to 
effect a junction with the invading army. New 
England was in serious danger of being completely 
and for all time cut off from all communication 
with, and help from the other colonies. The fed- 
erated colonies were about to be cut into two 
pieces, neither of which, alone, could successfully 
continue the struggle, and each of which would 
fall a prey to the hostile armies of Britain. Bur- 
goyne's invasion must be stopped. Burgoyne's 
army must be crushed, overpowered, captured, 
before it could be joined by the British troops 
from New York. The fate of the Declaration 
of Independence depended upon it. The fate of 
the struggle of your forefathers for their in- 
dependence depended upon it. In the balance 
depended your existence today, and mine, and 
your descendants and mine. On it depended the 
light of the torch of liberty. On it depended the 
birth and stability of republican institutions. On 
the one hand was success, freedom, life; on the 
other, slavery, misery, poverty, ignominious 
death. 

General Whipple saw these things. His vision 
was clear as to the momentousness of the issue. 
Did he sit in his seat in Congress in Philadephia? 
No. He hastened home to Portsmouth, our 
Portsmouth. New Hampshire raised two bri- 

15 



gades of troops with several regiments in each. 
General Stark was placed in command of one, 
and General Whipple was placed in command of 
the other. What General Stark did with his 
command at Bennington is known to you all. 
He destroyed a material part of the Burgoyne 
army there, and placed the first great obstacle 
in the way of a British retreat or advance. 

General Whipple placed himself and his brigade 
with the American troops at Saratoga, and he 
himself took a commanding part in the final 
events leading up to the surrender of Burgoyne — 
justly regarded as one of the seven great events 
in the world's history. 

We find him delegated to conduct in behalf of 
America the delicate negotiations looking to the 
surrender. We find him successful in that great 
task. And after the surrender, we find him com- 
missioned to conduct the captive troops to Boston 
harbor. This also was successfully done. Im- 
mediately thereafter, we find him again attending 
to his duties as a member of the Congress at 
Philadelphia, but when the Rhode Island campaign 
seemed to need the warrior more than the nation 
seemed to need the statesman, we find him there, 
in 1778, leading the New Hampshire troops in the 
army commanded by General Sullivan. At the 
conclusion of this campaign we find him again at 
his post in the Congress at Philadelphia, and there 

16 



he remained as long as his health would per- 
mit. 

What wonder, then, that physical infirmities 
overcame him, so much so that he was compelled 
to retire from such a strenuous life? He was at 
home in Portsmouth in 1780, where he declined 
the federal appointment of commissioner of ad- 
miralty. We find him a member of the New 
Hampshire legislature from 1780 to 1784. Fur- 
thermore, he reluctantly accepted and held from 
1782 to 1784 the position of receiver of the 
United States for New Hampshire, a position 
troublesome, and most difficult to fill, carrying 
with it as it did, the necessity of collecting local 
moneys for the federal government at a time 
when obtaining money from the colonists for 
any purpose, was almost an impossibility, be- 
cause they had so little. 

But this was not the sum of his public duties 
at this time. The Congress appointed him presi- 
dent of a federal court to try a dispute between 
the states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and 
this duty he performed. 

And as if his life was not already full of honors 
and duties," in 1782 he was appointed to, and ac- 
cepted a judgeship of, the superior court of judi- 
cature and held the position until his death. 

When the declaration was presented to the 
Congress at Philadelphia for signatures of the 

17 



delegates, the northernmost colony was called 
first, and Josiah Bartlett of our neighboring town 
of Kingston was the first name called, who voted 
in its favor, and William Whipple of Portsmouth 
was the second who voted aye, and his signature 
is the sixth among the signers. 

Consider this life of activity, of versatility, of 
honesty, of patriotism, of unselfishness. Take 
inspiration from it. Pattern after it. Visit the 
house here in which he lived, standing as it does 
nobly and grandly. Walk under the great tree 
which his hand planted, and which today flourishes 
and is in full life and vigor as you would expect 
of all things that sprang from him. 

What wonder is it that the society which 
springs from the loins of those who fought in the 
wars in which he fought; which descended from 
the men who fought and bled in the conflicts 
which his statesmanship on the one hand, and 
his military leadership on the other, helped 
guide, rejoices today in the opportunity to grace 
his memory with this tablet? All glory to him! 
All praise to them! William Whipple! Rare is 
the human, worthy to deal fittingly with that 
name and its possessor! I recognize my own 
inability to properly and briefly deal with such a 
proud possession of your native city and my own. 
And above all he was and did, his memory by all 
Americans will be chiefly cherished because he 

18 



was one of the SIGNERS, one of the immortal 
fifty-six who placed their names to that which is 
the beginning and the foundation of all this 
country is and may be; of all we are and may 
be. 

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary 
for one people to dissolve the political bands which have con- 
nected them with another, and to assume, among the powers 
of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws 
of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to 
the opinions of mankind requires, that they should declare 
the causes which impel them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident: — that all men are 
created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with 
certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, 
and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, 
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just 
powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any 
form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is 
the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute 
a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, 
and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem 
most likely to effect their safety and happiness. . . . 

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of 
America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the 
Supreme Judge of the world, for the rectitude of our inten- 
tions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people 
of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these 
United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and in- 
dependent States; . . . and that, as free and independ- 
ent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, 
contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other 
acts and things which independent States may of right do. 

19 



And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance 
on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge 
to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. 

This paper may be closed in no more fitting 
way than by quoting from one of our greatest 
statesmen, who in eulogy of the signers said : 

They are no more, they are dead. But how little is there 
of the great and good which can die! To their country they 
yet live, and live forever. They live in all that perpetuates 
the remembrance of men on earth: in the recorded proofs of 
their own great actions, in the offspring of their intellect, in 
the deep engraved lines of public gratitude, and in the respect 
and homage of mankind. They live in their example; and 
they live, emphatically, and will live, in the influence which 
their lives and efforts, their principles and opinions, now 
exercise, and will continue to exercise, on the affairs of men, 
not only in their own country, but throughout the civilized 
world. A superior and commanding human intellect, a truly 
great man, when Heaven vouchsafes so rare a gift, is not a 
temporary flame, burning bright for a while, and then ex- 
piring, giving place to returning darkness. It is rather a 
spark of fervent heat, as well as radiant light, with power to 
enkindle the common mass of human mind; so that when it 
glimmers in its own decay, and finally goes out in death, no 
night follows; but it leaves the world all light, all on fire, 
from the potent contact of its own spirit. 



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